


The Perks and Downfalls of Reincarnation

by Bunnyfeeties



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged up characters, Doesn't follow the normal story, F/M, Human bill, Reincarnation, Sort of a different plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 20:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6768412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnyfeeties/pseuds/Bunnyfeeties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill spends his days anazlyzing humans for all eternity. The imortal demon seems not to have a heart, until he sees a girl from afar. She goes by the name of Mabel Pines and dies from a terrible sickness before he can speak to her. Generations go by and he meets a girl by the same name, with the same twin brother. She reminds him so much of the girl he once loved. Can he feel the same for her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Throughout my many lives, I have seen many things. I’ve seem cities, civilizations rise and fall. I’ve seen diseases come and go, the death and despair fade away as time moved on. I’ve seen wars, and peace both at the same time. I’ve seen many advances in technology and I’ve witnessed science expand. 

Throughout all of this, I spent my time alone. I watched from a distance, analyzing the mortals who seem to want to live so desperately. They spend their days trying, hoping to leave their mark on the world. The whole thing makes me laugh, their need to be noticed or recognized. Their impatient want to change something in this world. No, humans are never satisfied. 

They always need more, thirst and hunger for more information. Mothers hope and pray for a better life for their children, wanting more for them. Yet, they can’t just accept things the way they are and be happy with what they have. Scientists all search and rummage through a lifetime of observations, trying to understand the world. Can't they ever just take things as they are? Why do they always have to look deeper into the subject. They throw aside things they don’t understand and believe the things they can explain. 

I, for instance, belong in the first category. The things they don’t understand. They wouldn’t be able to understand how I have many different forms. How I am not limited to Newton's laws. How gravity doesn’t control me. Because of this reason, I decide to stay in the shadows of history. Always there, yet never seen. Of course there are some mortals who believe in my sort of thing, and don’t question the paranormal. This brings me to the Pines family. 

It was in the late 1960s when I had seen them. A family, shuffling down the street quickly. A mother, worn but still smiling kindly, her eyes brown and bright. She was full of life despite her frail, weak appearance. She ushered her children along, looking over them and making sure she had everyone with her. A good strategy as it would be very easy to lose someone in this dense crowd. 

A daughter, in her older teens, on the verge of being an adult. She was breathtakingly beautiful with brown hair that shined in the sunlight. A cheerful smile permanently stuck on her pale face. Despite her age, she had a childlike wonder to her. The girl looked around at the market stands, listening to every unfair bargain thrown at her. Her mother repeatedly pulled her away from people whose eyes were full of lust. The girl looked ridiculously naive, smiling kindly at every piece of scum who addressed her. 

Next, and last, there was a son. The boy stayed close to his mother, glancing around carefully. He looked the same age as his sister and they had the same face. Yet, he was acting much different than his childlike sister. He was mature, knowing the dangers of the world. The kid wouldn’t even look at anyone around him, taking firm, brave steps. He looked over his shoulder occasionally as if someone were following them. That person, would of course be me. 

Maybe it was the mischievous glint in my yellow eyes, or the way I never remembered it was more human to blink every now and then. Maybe it was the way I watching them, with an unwavering gaze. Or maybe it was the way I held myself, proud and tall, looking around like everyone else was inferior to me. It could have been any of those things, or maybe all at once that made the boy glare at me like he did. In a moment he had noticed that his family was the one I was following and he had murmured something to his sister. She spun around, her dress spinning gracefully and the moment her brown eyes landed on me, my breath stopped. 

The way she looked at me was unlike anything I had ever seen. Sure, I had known lust. I had known desperation and rebellion. All of those things were looks I got from many people who had decided I was the most beautiful thing that they had ever seen. This girl, though, looked shocked, scared even. She looked at me with the exact look that I was giving back to her. We mirrored each other's expressions almost exactly yet I was the first to waver. I went from looking shocked, amazed, infatuated with her, to cold and uncaring. I had put my stone mask back on. I wasn’t going to get involved with the petty feelings of a human. 

Even as I had glared at her, her expression never wavered. She stared at me curiously for a few more seconds until her brother pulled her away, shooting me a glare. The boy mumbled something soft to his mother and she glanced at me and hurried along. The young girl shot me another curious glance as her mother pulled her away. I had stopped walking, deciding not to spook her, even though I normally wouldn’t care. There was something about her that I hadn’t quite realized at the time. She was full of curiosity for the things that no one understood. She wasn’t seeking to understand it, but instead just to see it. The girl had a need to discover instead of a desperation to advance. 

I watched the family until they vanished from my sight. Even when I couldn’t see them, I stood there., the image of the young girl burned into my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. There was just something about her that made me feel human. As crazy as that sounds, I felt vulnerable, like an open book. Like when she looked at me, she could see everything I had to offer, and more. 

After that day, I had followed the family around relentlessly, yet I didn’t let them see me again. I wanted to watch them run their errands without them noticing me and leaving. The girl, whose name I learned was Mabel, smiled at every shop clerk and looked at her apples that she was in charge of like they were gold. Carefully, she inspected every apple she picked up with gentle fingers. Every smile she gave was enough to melt anyones heart. The way she was so careful with everything made me curious. It was like everything she held was glass, when she herself looked quite breakable. Something in me gave me the idea that I wanted to hold her like she was holding those apples. I wanted to give her the same gentle touch she gave everything else. 

It was months before I decided when I was going to talk to her. I was going to do it when she was by herself, picking out those apples. Her brother and her mother would be gone, running their own errands. That was when I was going to speak to her. Though that day, was a day I would never forget for all eternity. 

I had started to make my way towards her when it happened. Her face grew pale and her legs started shaking. When I had seen her walk up to the stand, I had noticed that she didn’t look right, yet I brushed it aside. The beautiful girl turned into a sickly looking one, and she suddenly fainted, falling to the ground with a bang. The crowd stepped away from her and I watched as her apples spilled on the ground. I knew I couldn’t stay there. Staying here or even helping her would draw too much attention to me. So I turned, and walked away from the scene, guilt gnawing in my stomach. 

I watched her at home through the next fer months. I watched as her smile faded away and her once gentle touch turned frail. Soon enough she couldn’t rise out of bed anymore and she stayed, bedridden. Doctors frequently visited her but they all left grim and sad. That was never a good sign. 

Then, late in the night, I watched as her final breath left her body and her spirit was taken away with the wind, carrying my heart along with it. After that day, I had never felt the same about any other human before. I never even got to talk to her, only watching from afar. Every day after she left this world, I delivered perfect apples to her former house, leaving them at the front step. I had searched for the best ones, like she would have. Her mother and brother assumed it was someone trying to give sympathy. Mabel was the first and only human I would ever truly care about, and now she was gone. The light in my dark world was gone. 

Now, I didn’t know it at the time, but this world works in ways not everyone can understand. Not even myself. When you think you have lost the drive to keep going, you get a sudden reminder that not all hope is lost. For the longest time, I was losing the drive to keep on with my life of eternity but my reminder was coming soon. My hope. I had assumed it would never come back again. I didn’t know how wrong I was.


	2. Chapter 2

I had spent the next few decades starting to appreciate humans for what they were. Sure, they were arrogant and greedy but damn were they loyal. It was one of the many things Mabel had taught me, though she had never spoken a word to me. Sometimes I fear that if she had said something to me, I would have fallen so deep in love that I would have drown in it. So, maybe it was a good thing that I kept my distance from her. Not to mention the fact that humans don’t respond well to beings like me.

Every mortal that has fallen in love with me has become obsessed. They forget every other important thing in their life and they focus solely on me. They forget about eating, sleeping, their family, their friends. Only few are able to handle it, and I haven’t met one. Mabel, for instance, would have become entranced like the majority. The look she gave me when she first saw me was all I needed for proof. Sure, I could be wrong. But that’s quite a rare situation.

Following my mourning process after Mabel, I decided to move around a bit. I went to many different cities, trying to distract myself from feeling anything. I didn’t need to think about her anymore or her family. I needed to get back on track. Stay distant, observe. Years and years later, when her memory was almost gone from my thoughts, I moved to Gravity Falls. It was an interesting little town, full of interesting people. I observed, from a distance of course, more interested in the beasts in the forest.

Never before had I ever been in a place where strange, horrifying creatures lay. They watched, like I did but s lot of them just terrorized the humans. Eventually they forgot though, going back to their normal lives like the beasts didn’t exist. Not the smartest bunch are they. I spent my time there, lounging around, not doing much. It’s easy to lose interest in a stupid group of humans.

Then, I met him. Stanford Pines, boy was he a trip. He was just like the rest of them, greedy. He needed information and he needed it desperately. He sought to understand Gravity Falls and he disturbed the peace. He seeked out beasts and caged them, preventing them from terrorizing anyone. Now that really put a damper on my mood, so I had decided to mess with him. I invaded his mind, got him to trust me, then ruined his life. You know, thinking back now, I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t have interfered with his mind and his life, a lot of things wouldn’t have happened.

Stanley Pines wouldn’t have pushed him into that interdimensional portal. The portal wouldn’t even have existed. Good ol Fordy wouldn’t have been able to do it without me, not by a longshot. This means the twins wouldn’t have come to stay with their Grunkle Stanley.  
I watched as they got off that bus, at the time being only twelve years old. Seeing them though, was all I needed to know who they were. I had seen those eyes before. The boy looked around with paranoia and the girl’s eyes were wide and inviting. At the time, I had been sitting in a tree, simply lounging. As soon as I had recognized the eyes though, I fell from my seat. With a thump, I hit the ground. I thought for a moment that I could have just levitated and caught my fall but it was too late now.

The boy looked over, eyes full of fear. “Mabel..? What do you think that was..?” My heart stopped. My breath caught. I listened, trying to figure out if the name he just spoke was not a trick of my mind. As he said it once more, my stomach flipped and my hands started shaking.

I knew what this was, this was nervous. I had seen it before in other humans when they're waiting to perform on stage or give a presentation. Their hands start shaking and they start sweating profusely from different parts of their body. As their breathing picks up, their mind seems to run too fast. That was exactly what was happening to me. I had lost my cool gaze and my relaxed behavior and instead was falling apart.

The boy took a few steps towards me, not seeing me yet. Thank god the bushes were here to hide me. Just as he was about to peek behind the bush, his sister spoke.

“Ah it's probably nothin bro! Squirrels exist too! Stop being so paranoid!” She spoke like she didn’t have a care in the world. It was a tone and voice that I recognized and I could hardly believe my ears. There was no way that the Mabel I knew was here and alive. It was decades later and I had seen the girl die, along with her family.

Though despite what I had seen, I couldn’t deny what I was hearing. She sounded like she did, she had a twin brother who acted the way he did, and she had the same name. This had been the first time something happened in this world that I didn’t understand. How is it that she had died so long ago but was here, bright and smiling with her brother.

As I got lost in my thoughts, Mabel and her brother had left. Shaking my head, I floated into the air and watched them walk down the dirt road. I watched as her hair bounced whenever she took a step and I watched as she started suddenly running, laughing happily.  
The longer I thought about it, the more confused I was. I started watching her then, day after day. She was young, yes but still bright. The girl was very loyal, making sure her brother was happy and in turn, he did the same for her. They depended on each other, something I had only seen in the non arrogant humans. Mabel even liked the same breakfast foods as the first Mabel, claiming that pancakes couldn’t hold a candle to waffles.

Slowly but surely, she made my heart beat again. She showed so much gentleness to the things she cared for, including her pet pig. She had proved, day after day that she was so similar to the Mabel I once knew and studied so well. But, as I kept having to remind myself, she was not her. Her smile was too wide, her laugh too loud. This Mabel didn’t have the same soft smile as the old one. I couldn’t keep getting my hopes up because this world is cruel. This world does not care for my wants and needs, it does what it wants.

As I have heard some humans say, life is cruel. Now as much as I hate to say it, they’re right in saying that. They don’t seek to understand that fact, they just accept it. Life is ridiculously, ludicrously, cruel.


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout the years, I had watched her and her brother. Yes, it was years before I was able to actually reveal myself. In the time, I had been able to learn some new tricks, finding places to hide up close without being seen. This currently includes mirrors.

I have learned that I can hide behind these reflective panes, treating them as one way glass. There, I can watch closer than I ever had been before. I watched Mabel fix her fluffy brown hair as I gazed into those brown eyes. She twirled around, happy with the outfit she had picked out today. Letting a small smile creep onto my face, she grabbed her things and raced out of her room excitedly. They were headed back to gravity falls today.

I met them there, watching through the window of inside the Shack as they pulled up. Her brother was old enough now to drive them, so they had just driven themselves instead of taking the bus. Dipper, the boy, slowly got out of the car, stretching. His bones popped as he stretched, having gotten quite tall in the years. Mabel, to her dismay, ended up shorter than her brother.

They were both quite beautiful people, the boy having been blessed with a fortunate puberty. His jaw was more defines and his eyes shone brightly. The young man now had grown out of his young adorable appearance and by the looks of it, was more laid back.

Mabel, looks exactly as she had before. She held herself proudly, wearing dresses whenever she could. She kept herself nicely groomed, never far away from a brush. As a result, her hair looked perfect, making me want to run my hands through it. Though what I couldn’t get over was what she was holding. I’m not sure if it's a present for their great uncle, but she was holding a basket of apples. Perfect, red apples.

The sight made my head spin. She was even wearing the same color dress that the old Mabel wore. Sure it wasn’t the same style but fashion has changed. As they walked towards the doors, I took a step back and sunk back into the shadows, staying out of sight. Another trick of mine that I’ve learned.

She ran inside. “GRUNKLE STAAAN!!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, bringing me back to earth. The old Mabel certainly was not this loud. I winced as she tackled the man in a hug, being anything but gentle. Her grunkle responded with a grunt.

Shaking my head, I clenched my jaw. This was not the girl that I once knew. She was so different, loud and uncaring about the world around her. This girl wasn’t graceful or kind at all. Her smile wasn’t soft and gentle, it was wide and big. When she walked, she didn’t walk with grace, she walked like she owned the place. The boy wasn’t the same either. He wasn’t paranoid, he was laid dack. He wore a lazy smile on his face as he watched his sister.

Nothing that was happening was the same. Why couldn’t things just be the same. As my anger rose, I clenched my fists and grit my teeth. The house shook and the lights flickered as I felt my eyes glow red. Mabel looked around in fear, her brother stepping closer to her. The girl looked around and finally, her eyes landed on me. For a moment, I wondered why, since I knew that she should be unable to see me. Then I realized that my anger had gotten the best of me, and I lost my concentration.

Quickly, I hid back behind the shadows and she stared at the spot where I was in confusion. Adjusting my hat, I calmed my anger. My Mabel was gone. I needed to accept that. There was nothing I could do about it, and getting angry with this new Mabel wasn’t going to help.

“What? What is it..? What are you looking at..?” Her brother, Dipper I think his name was, asked his sister.

She had been staring in the corner, seemingly staring right at me. At least that’s what it felt like, getting a weird prickly feeling in my skin.

“Nothing…” She mumbled, looking away. Hopefully she assumed that it was just a trick of the eye. Even though she had seen me standing there, pure anger pouring from my eyes.

They continued with their greetings as I left the room silently. Going upstairs, I hid behind her mirror in the attic. That was quite a close one, she had caught a quick glimpse of me. I couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing though, torn between two different sides. If she saw me, I would be able to talk to her, smile with her, spend my day with her. Or, unfortunately, she could end up hating me. She might be afraid of me, of what she doesn’t understand.

I guess we’ll find out now won’t we. Adjusting my hat, I took a step out of the mirror, sitting gently on her bed. Now, being able to see myself in that mirror, I started adjusting my suit and my bowtie. Might as well look nice for her. Maybe it will cause her to be less afraid for some reason.

My heartbeat picked up as I heard her excited footsteps thump up the stairs. If she were to walk in, she would see me there, sitting on her bed. Would she be scared? Would she scream? All of these thoughts went through my head as she came closer to the door.

At the last moment, I leapt back into her mirror with one long bound as she opened the door. I couldn’t do this, I really couldn't. For once in my life, I was afraid. Afraid of this measly human who, based on her reaction, would decide my future. If she was afraid, I would leave her be. Never bothering her or her family again. If she was not, my future would look a lot more bright.

It angered me that this girl, who was now unpacking, would decide many things in my life. Though this was just one of the many things that life controlled, and not me. I needed to stop running away from my fears, my problems. Staying distant and far away was going to do nothing for me or for this world. Sure, this place was horrible and cruel but I could at least try and do something about it. I could make her see, make her believe I wasn’t here to hurt her.

I realized just then that I was no better than those humans now. Seeking to change the world and what people think. I was not going to just stand aside in the shadows and do nothing. I was going to change this world or die trying.

Taking a deep breath, I took a small step out of the mirror, no longer afraid of this world or the consequences


	4. Chapter 4

She turned and froze when she saw, her eyebrows wrinkling together in confusion. For a few moments, we just stood there staring at each other. I kept my expression calm even though I probably would have destroyed this world out of pure panic. She moved slowly, grabbing her grappling hook off of the bed. The girl then took a few steps back.

No, this is not the Mabel I knew. The Mabel I knew would have looked at me with curiosity instead of fear. She would never have looked at me with the fear that this Mabel had. The girl in front of me was looking at me like I was about to kill her. Slowly, I put my hands up in surrender.

“Who… Who are you.” She spoke with a determined tone. I’ve got to give her props though, this girl was brave. This young teen was willing to fight a demon like me.

“Cipher. I’m Bill Cipher,” I spoke loudly and clearly, making sure she heard me right. Narrowing my eyes a bit, I tilted my tead. “Are you going to fight me girl.” I asked, baring my teeth as I spoke.

I didn’t care who she was or what she looked like, I was not to be trifled with. No one, and I mean no one threatened me and got away with it. The look in her eyes made my glare harden, a hint of red seeping through my yellow eyes. She didn’t falter, not one bit. Her fear turned to determination. Her unease hardened and she stood firm, ready to defend herself.

Growling lowly, I moved toward her with inhuman speed, wrenching the grappling hook from her grasp. I grabbed her arm firmly and twisted it behind her back as she let out a grunt. Now very close to me, I could feel her quickening breath on my ear.

Quietly, I mumbled in her ear, “Don’t mess with me, girl. It will be the last mistake you ever make.” My own tone surprised me. I sounded the way I looked at the moment. Scary. I could tell she was afraid because she started to shake a bit. Yet she still held strong.  
Letting go of her arm, I threw her back against the bed. At least she had a soft landing.

I thought she would stay down yet that didn’t seem to be the case. Quicker than I thought she would, she rebounded, getting up without missing a beat. Again, without hesitating, she threw a punch at me. Seeing it coming, I leaned back as she tried swiping my feet out from under me next.

I hovered in the air instead of falling and that got her attention. She stopped fighting back and took some steps back instead. The thought had finally set in that I wasn’t human.

“Cipher.” She spoke with disdain evident in her voice. So much for a good first impression.

“Yes.” I answered her, the anger draining from me. To be honest, if someone were to show up in my home, I would have fought too. She didn’t know who I was, she couldn’t have known that I can squash her head like a grape.

“I don’t like you, Not one bit.” She spat.

Crossing my arms, I glared. “The feeling is mutual.”  
Letting out a huff, she moved to continue unpacking.

This went on for about an hour as she continued to ignore me. She put up sparkly pink posters of bands that only featured boys. She laid out her blankets and pillows, both of them also pink. She organized her makeup and brushes on front of the mirror and finally started putting clothes in the rightful places. 

Undergarments and swimsuits on top, next is shirts, next pants and then pajamas. The pajama drawer was overflowing with different types of pajamas she owned. For a moment, I thought she would ignore me for the rest of the day. Then she finally turned towards me.

“Where did you come from.” She demanded firmly, that determination coming back with a snap.

“Your mirror.” I stated calmly, no longer wishing to fight. All I wanted was to make sure she didn’t know that I had been watching her for years. That would scare her off in an instant.

“How long were you in there? Can you see out them? Is it like those one way mirrors they use to interrogate people? What’s it like back there?” She went on and on with different questions, not letting me answer. Some of them I knew how to answer, and some of them..I really didn’t know what to say. I waited until she was finished before saying anything. After about three minutes of questions, she finally quieted down.

“One at a time please.” I said, adjusting my bow. That answer didn’t sit well with her and she let out a huff and crossed her arms. She looked me up and down with a very...say grumpy expression. She looked just like a child being told it was bed time.

“Okay...well what are you.” She asked carefully.

“A demon” I told her, keeping my answers vague. I wanted to see that childish pout again. It reminded me of the old Mabel, it really did.

“What kind.” She asked

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.”  
“A dangerous one,”

“That doesn’t help me.”

“That’s not my problem.” I glared.

She glared right back at me, anger evident in her eyes. She wanted answered and I was not about to give them to her. Mabel huffed and gave that pout again. I smiled softly, looking at her. Sure she wasn’t the same but she had the same qualities.

“Why are you here.” She asked, sitting on her bed. She kept the grappling hook close to her as she stared at me. Her eyes never left me.

“I’m intrigued.” I told her, the one thing I have said that hasn’t been be just dancing around the truth. She didn’t answer me after that, looking down at her lap. I watched her as she thought about what I had said. There was no way for me to find out what she was really thinking, I only hoped it was decent.

Finally she looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. “What do you want from me?” She asked, with not such a demanding tone. For a moment, I considered my answer. To be honest, I didn’t really know what I wanted from her. I didn’t know why I wa here. I didn’t like her, I didn’t enjoy being here with her. Yet I wasn’t going to leave her.

“I don’t know…” I said softly. She stared at me for a few seconds longer then looked back down at her lap. She stayed that way for a very long time and didn’t look at me as I moved to sit next to her. There we sat for several hours until she got up to shower and get ready for bed.

She picked out a pair of pajamas from the many and shuffled out. She came back and laid down.

“Please leave.” She mumbled softly. I’m not sure why, but the request hurt me. It made my heart ache painfully as I walked back into the mirror. Though she told me to go, I couldn’t obey. I stood behind the mirror then, watching her fall asleep. This girl might not be so bad.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days were the most painful of all. Though, the interesting thing about it, was that it wasn’t sharp like glass. It was more smooth and slow like heating water. It builds, boils, bubbles and then, suddenly, the heat is turned off and it starts all over again. I watch her in the mirror but it isn’t the same as it previously was. Mabel Pines was a smart girl, I now knew that for sure. She knew I wasn’t going to just leave her and her family. It was evident that she knew this because she didn’t look in the mirror the way she used to. The dressing ritual of twirling and obsessing about the way she looked went from twirls and messing with her hair, to one single quick glance and a rush out the door. Not much of Mabel’s time was spent in the bedroom anymore and I’m entirely positive it is because of me. 

I tried my hardest not to scare her off immediately but it was all in vain. This girl was afraid of me and I had myself to thank for that. I suppose wrestling her over her fear wasn’t the best of ideas at the time. Over the decades, I used to think that talking things out was such a waste of time but now I understand that it would have been a slightly better alternative. 

The brother of this interesting girl must know about me now. This doesn’t surprise me, the two tell each other everything. Much like the Mabel I used to know and love. Though I don’t like thinking about their similarities anymore. It is much easier to cope with Mabel Pines’s cold shoulder when I don’t think about how much I loved her ancestor. Instead, I try and focus on the differences. Seeing that she was not the same Mabel makes me see clearly that staying was absurd and out of hand. Though still, I stay. 

The day was humid. The air was too thick and heavy as the sun beat down upon the forest. Even in the shade, it was unbearable heat. Stanley pines was laying on the small living room couch with a small hand held fan he probably stole from the Mystery Shack gift shop. The sweaty old man held it in front of his face but by the sweat dripping down and the worn look on his face, I assume the meager fan was not doing much. The redheaded teen girl was sitting at the register with her feet kicked up on the counter, letting out a constant string of low groans. The mood was heavy and humid as the hottest days of summer unfolded slowly. 

The twins, however, were outside goofing around with the worn, rusty hose. Dipper was currently spraying a screaming, giggling Mabel, wearing a gentle smile on his face. They fought constantly over the hose and who got to soak the other but wrestling over it only succeeded in soaking the both of them. In their fun, neither of them seemed to catch the fact that the pig they love so very much, had decided to wander away. Didn’t the thing know what lie in the woods waiting to devour it? Apparently it did not, as it shuffled through the trees letting out soft snorts. Sighing, I lifted my hat and ran a hand through my hair, then stepped through Mabel’s mirror to stand in her room. Of course, I was going to have to be the one to save the damn swine. 

Staring out the window, I watched as Mabel looked around, probably looking for her beloved pig. Though of course, she wasn’t going to find him in the open. The girl looked towards the forest and said something quick to her twin. To my dismay, she started walking in towards the woods leisurely. Didn’t anyone understand that the woods is a very dangerous place? Dipper walked to her and looked in the forest as well, trying to spot the pig. Shooting him a small smile, Mabel made her way through the trees, and that was when I heard it. 

I have to thank my unnatural hearing for allowing me to hear the faintest of sounds. What I heard was a slight hiss and leaves rustling not far from where Mabel was. I knew that hiss anywhere. To anyone else the thing would look like a snake, but it was purple. Us demons knew that the purple snakes are the most dangerous to work with. Not only do they murder the body the soul inhabits, but they make sure to damage the soul itself. There was no way I was going to let Mabel’s pure soul get damaged. 

Before I knew it, I was opening the window and flying above the trees to get to her. I lowered myself a ways away from Mabel but I’m positive she saw me anyways because yellow isn’t too entirely difficult to see through the trees of the forest. Letting out a hiss of my own, I got the dangerous reptile’s attention as it turned towards me. Mabel saw the thing and looked shock, and scared which caught me off guard. Not only did she look shocked and scared, she looked interested as well. It was the exact same look that the Mabel I knew gave me when she saw me. It made me feel like I had to rush over to this girl and hold her. Hold her so tight so no sickness could touch her. Was this how my previous Mabel had seen me? As a snake, waiting to bite? 

Shaking off those thoughts, I directed my attention to the deadly snake ahead of me. It slithered towards me slowly, waiting to pounce. In one quick motion, I grabbed the snake by its head and squeezed until the snake ceased to move. 

Mabel looked horrified as she spoke, “How could you do that?!” The question caught me off guard. Why was she upset? Didn’t she understand that this snake would not only damage her body, but her soul as well?  
“Excuse me?” I asked her, absolutely baffled by her rage.

“That snake did absolutely nothing to you!! It was just movin’ along!! It wasn’t hurting anything at all, you didn’t need to kill the poor fella!!” Mabel’s eyes filled up with tears as her twin caught up with us. Immediately the boy looked at me like I had murdered a million humans, but all I had done was apparently cause her to cry. 

“The poor f-...fella? Honestly girl, you are dumber than I thought!! That THING would have done more harm than you realize.” I dropped the purple snake and it lay lifeless on the forest floor. 

“I saw it! We totally made eye contact! And it was moving along, we weren’t going to bother each other!! I don’t need your protection!!!” She spat at me, her tears drying up as her rage took over. 

“You had better be careful in here. There are creatures that would see you as an evening snack.” My eyes narrowed dangerously, turning a slight red shade. “There is nothing in this forest that will choose to be kind to you. I suggest you realize that now before you get yourself killed. That small pig of yours has most likely already been murdered, even in this short time of stepping into the godforsaken forest.” It pained me to say those things to her, because I could tell she was hurt by the thought of her pig being hurt, but it was all true. I needed her to see these things, not because I care for her, but because it would be an inconvenience to have to save her. 

“Waddles is fine.” She growled at me, with a lot of fierceness. Her brother gave a curt nod and they continued on, despite my warnings. And again, despite my assumption that they wouldn’t last three minutes in there, they arrived home with their pig. To my surprise, all three of them were unharmed. I was positive that they would have to attack or fight something, though as I stood in the mirror, and watched Mabel Pines get ready to go to bed ,I didn’t see so much as a scratch on her pale body. 

Mabel moved with pride, almost like she had just gotten done winning an argument. She turned her fan on and laid in her bed.   
“We were perfectly fine,” she said, as a matter o factly. “Perfectly. Fine.” 

She said nothing else that night, and I would never know how exactly she knew I was there. What if I wasn’t, and she was wasting her breath. She would tell a demon who wasn’t there that he was wrong. That he didn’t know everything. She would tell the wall of her victory and rub it in my giving her pig a gentle pet. But it wasn’t true. I was here, and I heard her perfectly. I knew very well that I was wrong. But that sure did not mean that those woods were not as dangerous as I claimed. I hoped deep inside that Mabel Pines wouldn’t make a habit out of going into the woods alone. I hoped, not because I cared for her, but because it would be an inconvenience. I did not care for her.


	6. Chapter 6

I again, didn’t make myself known to her for a few more days. This time though, instead of giving me the cold shoulder, it was like I was never even there in the first place. She acted as though she was alone, and I was starting to wonder if she truly thought I was gone. Surely she must have some thought that I might still be lurking behind the mirror, right? 

Either way, her life went back to normal. She would admire herself in the mirror like I wasn’t even there. I know she can’t even see me, but I thought she might just know I was there. Sometimes I forget that humans don’t have any senses. Yes, they have five, but they are spiritually disabled in my eyes. 

Mabel apparently had decided to ignore the fact that I told her the forest was dangerous. Or maybe she just didn’t remember. Yet again though, it was only a few days ago that I had spoken to her so it is a possibility she just isn’t going to listen to me. That’s very likely, given her stubbornness. 

What really confuses me, is her brother. The Pines twin was getting increasingly more paranoid, more than he normally was. I see him glancing over his shoulder whenever he walks and he doesn’t look as though he is sleeping very well. Poor kid must have insomnia. At least that was what I had thought until I saw him one night in his room. Dipper was laying in his bed, mumbling to himself and typing on a computer. Occasionally he would yawn and tell himself he needed to get to bed, as the sun would start to rise. He would then lay his head down and he was out like a light. Three hours later, Mabel would come running in to wake him up, excited to spend the day playing outside. Instead of telling her he was up late, and sleeping in, the boy always gave in and got up. That didn’t seem too much like insomnia to me.   
I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned about this fact or if I should just ignore it. The boy was nothing much, he was probably just writing to the government about a fake space ship he found. Nothing to worry about. 

Stepping out of Mabel’s mirror, I gave a sigh. Slowly, I took off my hat and laid it on Mabel’s bed. I could hear her coming, and for once, I didn’t care. There was no anxiety or worry that she would hate me. I just wanted to know what he would say, honestly. I needed her to know I was still there. 

As she burst through the door, she stopped for a moment, staring at me. She then continued to her dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt. 

“Who are you?” She asked. What a stupid question that was, what did she mean who am I. She knows exactly who I am. 

“I’m Bill. You know this.” I spoke with a certain kind of sharpness. I’m sick of these games she’s playing. 

“Hi Bill! What, is that short for William? Can I call you Will? Willy? Hi, I’m Mabel.” She held out her hand for me to shake.

“Firstly, do not call me William. Second, you know who I am. It’s only been three days, are you honestly that stupid.” I didn’t mean to sound so angry. I suppose I have a slight anger issue. 

“I...don’t remember? Sorry pal. Never seen ya before.” She smiled like what I had said hadn’t even phased her. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. She was being extremely petty with this whole act she’s putting on. All I wanted to do was talk to her. Calmly. But it looks like that isn’t going to happen now. 

“Enough. Stop with this stupid….act. Enough.” I glared, my eyes turning a shade of red. The innocent look on her face made me even more furious. Couldn’t she stop acting like a child for once in her life.   
“I don’t know why you’re so m-” I cut her off.

“Enough!!!” I grabbed her by her throat and pinned her against the wall. Only then did she start realizing I was completely serious. Why must it take a demon cutting off her air supply for her to finally listen. 

“I...I don’t know...you…” She choked out. Only then did I too realize that she was as serious as I was. It took cutting off her air supply for myself to listen as well. Though I wasn’t going to accept that right now. 

I let her go and she crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. She’s overreacting, I only held her there for a minute or so. Humans. 

“I’m Bill. Cipher. A demon.” I don’t know why saying my name would get her to remember. There aren’t many men who look like me, I’m very memorable. 

Mabel shook her head, staring at me. There was no recognition in her big brown eyes. None of this made any sense. Why all of the sudden did she not know who I was. Sure, most humans forget I exist but that would be after decades. I’ve left Mabel alone for a few days before and she sure did remember when I came back that time. So why now. It wasn’t making sense. 

“I’m sorry...But I think I would remember someone like you…” She spoke, finally regaining her breath. 

I sighed, “I thought so too.” 

“Well..I’m Mabel Pines….pleased to meet y-” Once again, I cut her off.

“You shouldn’t be pleased to meet me. No one should. I know who you are Mabel Pines and I know you know who I am. I’m not sure what happened to your memories but I will get them back, only for the reason of arguing with you once again.” I picked my hat back up and put it on. 

“Ooooo how romantic!” Mabel batted her eyelashes at me and suddenly my face felt hot. I must have suddenly gotten hotter in the room because I was starting to sweat and my face was burning hot. I started looking around for the source. “Oh wow you’re blushing!”

“What?” I looked at her, completely puzzled. Of course I wasn’t blushing. The room got hotter, that’s all. 

“You’re blushing! It means you’re embarrassed or-” 

“I know what it means!! That surely is not the case Mabel Pines, I do not get embarrassed! I’m an all powerful dream demon who-”

“Blushes?” A smile crept onto her face as I got angrier. 

“No!” I gave a growl. Doesn’t this girl know that I could kill her with a snap of my fingers? Why wasn’t she afraid. Or angry. Anything other than happy or laid back. 

“Whatever man. I’m changing. Soo you need to go please!” She shooed me away with her hands. 

Amazing. Now an all powerful demon is being shooed away by a teenage human girl. Oh what fun it is to be belittled like this. I left her in peace, wondering now why she didn’t remember me. If this was all just one big act, she should pray for her life. Not only her life, but her family's life as well. Things will not go well. No one plays tricks on Bill Cipher.


	7. Chapter 7

It doesn’t take long for her to address me again. I wasn’t expecting her to talk to me again. Something told me that the fact that she had no idea who I was meant that she didn’t want anything to do with me. I wasn’t yet convinced that she honestly didn’t remember who I was. What a bizarre thing to claim. 

She called out for me in the night. “Bill Cipher?” Her voice was soft. I let myself fade into sight. Mabel was laying in bed, clearly very tired. The night was calm and the occasional glow in the corner told me that a firefly had gotten in somehow. Whether she let it in on purpose or on accident, I didn’t know. 

“Yes Mabel Pines.” I hoped I sounded calm. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

“Why do you think I should remember you?” She sat up now, looking at me. Something about her eyes made my heart feel a certain kind of way. Sometimes I forget how much she looks like the Mabel I knew from so long ago. Why is it that something like this can happen? It isn’t an everyday thing that someone can be reborn to look exactly the same with the same name and family, and yet not be that person at all. How is a man like me supposed to feel, witnessing it happen. 

“Because you should remember me,” I told her gently, with a patience I didn’t know I had. “We know each other.”

She looked down with an expression that looked to me like sadness. Yet, it also looked like she was just thinking. For a girl who is very outward about how she is feeling, it’s hard to tell when she is sad.

“We don’t though.” She tried to tell me. We don’t, she said. How is it that she doesn’t remember? My heart twisted and throbbed with a certain kind of pain. A special kind of pain. I needed to get her to remember, she needed to know who I was. Why I was so frantic, I didn’t know. I was though. She had to remember, she had to. 

“We do Mabel Pines. Remember? You hate me. You’re angry at me.” I knelt down, balancing on the balls of my feet. I didn’t want to feel so tall. It made me feel like I was above her. I wasn’t.

“Why am I angry at you?” She played along. Bless her heart. 

“You’re angry because...because...you don’t understand who I am. Or why I am here.” This was true. She didn’t understand that I wasn’t here to harm her. Or at least she hadn’t understood. Now, however, is a different story. 

“Well, Bill Cipher, Who are you?” Mabel asked me. I had to sit and think for a moment. Who was I? Was I an all knowing, all powerful demon who can never die? Or was I someone who has seen everyone I knew and found amusing die. Someone who has seen all of the wonders of the world. Am I someone Mabel Pines would find unsettling or am I someone she’d be fascinated in? Do I tell her what she wants to hear or what she doesn’t? And yet, both are the truth. So I suppose it didn’t matter. 

But again, should I tell her everything? Then the choice of who I was would be up to her. If I gave her all sides to who I was, she herself would have to choose what to focus on. How do I even start to tell her everything about me? Should I tell her my life store and let her judge who I was?

My mouth opened of its own accord at that thought, “If I told you...what I’ve seen and who I’ve met… You will know who I am.” I met her eyes. And she gave a nod.   
So, I told her. I told her who I was. I told her everything I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. I told her how old I actually was. And I told her about Mabel Pines. 

At first, she seemed confused. But of course, who wouldn’t be confused after being told that you had an ancestor who had your exact name and looked just like you. Dipper had one too. Yet as I went on and on about her, Mabel listened to me. She didn’t interrupt and she seemed very interested in what I had to tell her. So I told her. As the night went on, she started looking tired. That was understandable seeing as though humans needed their rest. What surprised me was the fact that she didn’t say anything to me. She didn’t tell me I needed to stop or that she wanted to get to sleep. The girl just let me talk on and on about my life. 

When I was finally done, I looked over at her. She was fast asleep. Her mouth was slightly open as she breathed heavily. Gently, I brushed the hair out of her face. This poor girl didn’t need to be in the middle of my problems. I needed to face the fact that she wasn’t the Mabel I knew centuries ago. I needed to leave her alone. 

I don’t know why I did it, really I don’t. But I found myself giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. 

I stood. Was it wrong to want to leave her here and never come back? I didn’t have any more time to think about leaving as her brother walked in.   
The lack of sleep seemed to finally be getting to him but he was trying not to let it show. The boy glanced from me to Mabel and seemed to know that I wasn’t going to hurt him. His shoulders fell, showing his exhaustion. 

“I did it.” He mumbled, his tone so low I could barely understand him. 

“You did what?” I was stumped. For the first time in centuries I didn’t understand what a human was talking about. Maybe I did, but it was something I didn’t want to piece together on my own. 

“I made her forget.” He choked out. Suddenly it all made sense. Of course she wouldn’t just forget who I was on her own. How could I have been so naive. 

“Why.” I growled. I wasn’t going to hurt him but boy did I sure want to. Hurting him would hurt Mabel, and of course I wasn’t going to do that. 

“She was obsessed with you…!!” He exclaimed, glancing around the room frantically. “I wanted to help her!!” 

I rubbed my hands over my face as I tried to make sense of it all. Yes, she's forgotten about me. But she's also forgotten about the hate she had for me. I could use this as an opportunity to start over completely. An opportunity to prove to her that I am not here to hurt her and her brother. 

“Listen to me boy, you will never do this to her again. You know the toll it can have on people. You know what she can become,” Dipper nodded as I continued, “I will continue contact with her- don’t give me that look. I will continue contact with her. I will not hurt her and we will be friends at the least. I have lived far too long to let this girl go.” 

The boy looked away, seeming to understand. “Listen...I really don’t trust you with her…” He rubbed the back of his neck in a fit of unease. 

“I know you don’t. And that’s understandable. But you will. You may monitor what I say to her and you may intervene if you wish. But I will not stop talking to her.” I made my claim clear and I hoped he would follow. I definitely would leave if he honestly truly thought I was a danger to his sister. Which I wasn’t. 

“Alright….alright fine…” Dipper mumbled to himself. “Just don’t leave..” He mumbled even softer this time. 

“Excuse me? Why?” This puzzled me. He didn’t trust me and yet he didn’t want me to leave? 

“Because I saw what you just did there...with the kiss to her cheek...I know how she is, she gets attached way too much...if you left now, I know she would be crushed…” Dipper met my eyes with a pleading gaze. This much I could respect. 

I only gave him a nod in response. He turned and returned to his room. From then on, I stayed with Mabel Pines. I stayed with her through thick and thin. I stayed with her as she grew old and I stayed with ever even when she couldn’t remember my face. I stayed with her as they buried her under the ground and I stayed with her as the flowers grew above her beautiful body. 

Then, centuries later, I swore that I would stay with her again as I heard of two new twins arriving in town.


End file.
